the.world.is.flat-第68章
按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
collaborations arise not from top…down directives of university administrators； but
rather from long…standing personal relationships among scholars and scientists；〃
said Levin。
How did the Yale…Fudan collaboration arise？ To begin with； said Levin； Yale professor
Tian Xu； its director； had a deep affiliation with both institutions。 He did his
undergraduate work at Fudan and received his Ph。D。 from Yale。 〃Five of Professor Xu's
collaborators； who are now professors at Fudan； were also trained at Yale；〃 explained
Levin。 One was Professor Xu's friend when both were Yale graduate students； another
was a visiting scholar in the laboratory of a Yale colleague； one was an exchange
student who came to Yale from Fudan and returned to earn his Ph。D。 in China； and the
other two were postdoctoral fellows in Professor Xu's Yale lab。 A similar story
underlies the formation of the Peking…Yale Joint Center for Plant Molecular Genetics
and Agrobiotechnology。
Professor Xu is a leading expert on genetics and has won grants from the National
Institutes of Health and the Howard Hughes Foundation to study the connection between
genetics and cancer and certain neuro…degenerative diseases。 This kind of research
requires the study of large numbers of genetic mutations in lab animals。 〃When you
want to test many genes and trace for a given gene that may be responsible for cer…
248
tain diseases； you need to run a lot of tests。 Having a bigger staff is a huge
advantage；〃 explained Levin。 So what Yale did was essentially outsource the lab work
to Fudan by creating the Fudan…Yale Biomedical Research Center。 Each university pays
for its own staff and research； so no money changes hands； but the Chinese side does
the basic technical work using large numbers of technicians and lab animals； which
cost so much less in China； and Yale does the high…end analysis of the data。 The Fudan
staff； students； and technicians get great exposure to high…end research； and Yale
gets a large…scale testing facility that would have been prohibitively expensive if
Yale had tried to duplicate it in New Haven。 A support lab in America for a project
like this one might have 30 technicians； but the one in Fudan has 150。
〃The gains are very much two…way；〃 said Levin。 〃Our investigators get substantially
enhanced productivity； and the Chinese get their graduate students trained； and their
young faculty become collaborators with our professors； who are the leaders in their
fields。 It builds human capital for China and innovation for Yale。〃 Graduate students
from both universities go back and forth； forging relationships that will no doubt
produce more collaborations in the future。 At the same time； he added； a lot of legal
preparation went into this collaboration to make sure that Yale would be able to
harvest the intellectual property that is created。
〃There is one world of science out there；〃 said Levin； 〃and this kind of international
division of labor makes a lot of sense。〃 Yale； he said； also insisted that the working
conditions at the Chinese labs be world…class； and； as a result； it has also helped
to lift the quality of the Chinese facilities。 〃The living conditions of the lab
animals are right up to U。S。 standards；〃 remarked Levin。 〃These are not mouse
sweatshops。〃
Every law of economics tells us that if we connect all the knowledge pools in the
world； and promote greater and greater trade and integration； the global pie will
grow wider and more complex。 And if America； or any other country； nurtures a labor
force that is increasingly made up of men and women who are special； specialized；
or constantly adapting to higher…value…added jobs； it will grab its slice of that
growing pie。 But
we will have to work at it。 Because if current trends prevail； countries like India
and China and whole regions like Eastern Europe are certain to narrow the gap with
America； just as Korea and Japan and Taiwan did during the Cold War。 They will keep
upping their standards。
So are we still working at it？ Are we tending to the secrets of our sauce？ America
still looks great on paper； especially if you look backward； or compare it only to
India and China of today and not tomorrow。 But have we really been investing in our
future and preparing our children the way we need to for the race ahead？ See the next
chapter。 But here's a quick hint：
The answer is no。
：：：：： SEVEN
The Quiet Crisis
Close games for the Americans were rare in previous Olympics； but now it appears to
be something the Americans should get used to。
…From an August 17； 2004； AP article from the Athens Olympics titled 〃U。S。 Men's
Basketball Team Narrowly Beats Greece〃
You could find no better metaphor for the way the rest of the world can now compete
head…to…head more effectively than ever with America than the struggles of the U。S。
Olympic basketball team in 2004。 The American team； made up of NBA stars； limped home
to a bronze medal after losing to Puerto Rico； Lithuania； and Argentina。 Previously；
the United States Olympic basketball team had lost only one game in the history of
the modern Olympics。 Remember when America sent only NCAA stars to the Olympic
basketball events？ For a long time these teams totally dominated all comers。 Then
they started getting challenged。 So we sent our pros。 And they started getting
challenged。 Because the world keeps learning； the diffusion of knowledge happens
faster； coaches in other countries now download American coaching methods off the
Internet and watch NBA games in their own living rooms on satellite TV。 Many of them
can even get ESPN and watch the highlight reels。 And thanks to the triple convergence；
there is a lot of new raw talent walking onto the NBA courts from all over the
world…including many new stars from China； Latin America； and Eastern Europe。 They
go back and play for their national teams in the Olympics； using the skills they honed
in America。 So the automatic American superiority of twenty years ago is now gone
in Olympic basketball。 The NBA standard is increasingly becoming a global
commodity…pure vanilla。 If the United States wants to continue to dominate in Olympic
basketball； we must； in that great sports cliche； step it up a notch。 The old standard
won't do anymore。 As Joel Cawley of IBM remarked to me； 〃Star for star； the basketball
teams from places like Lithuania or Puerto Rico still don't rank well versus the
Americans； but when they play as a team…when they collaborate better than we do…they
are extremely competitive。〃
Sports writer John Feinstein could have been referring to either American engineering
skills or American basketball skills when he wrote in an August 26； 2004； AOL essay
on Olympic basketball that the performance of the U。S。 basketball team is a result
of 〃the rise of the international player〃 and 〃the decline and fall of the U。S。 game。〃
And the decline and fall of the U。S。 game； argued Feinstein； is a result of two
long…term trends。 The first is a steady decline 〃in basketball skills；〃 with American
kids just wanting to shoot either three…point shots or dunk… the sort of stuff that
gets you on ESPN's SportsCenter highlight reel … instead of learning how to make
precise passes； or go into the lane and shoot a pull…up jumper； or snake through big
men to get to the basket。 Those skills take a lot of hard work and coaching to learn。
Today； said Feinstein； you have an American generation that relies almost completely
on athleticism and almost not at all on basketball skills。 And there is also that
ugly little problem of ambition。 While the rest of the world was getting better in
basketball； 〃more and more NBA players were yawning at the notion of playing in the
Olympics；〃 noted Feinstein。 〃We have come a long way from 1984； when Bob Knight told
Charles Barkley to show up to the second Olympic training camp at 265 pounds or else。
Barkley showed up weighing 280。 Knight cut him that day。 In today's world； the Olympic
coach wouldn't even have checked Barkley's weight in the first place。 He would have
sent a limousine to the airport to get h
